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Fish the Bayou on Saturday, Oct. 5th

Fish the Bayou on Saturday, Oct. 5th

The Larose Civic Center Pavilion will be the site of the first annual “Fish the Bayou” fishing contest next Saturday, October 5th.

The rodeo is the idea of Shane Curole, a Larose native and kayak fishing enthusiast.

Like others in its fishing format, the event is very unlike other fishing contests in its purpose. The mission of “Fish the Bayou” is to support the Dusty Richardel Memorial Foundation, a non-profit organization set up to remember its namesake by awarding “blue collar” scholarships to Louisiana high school seniors.

Shane and Dusty were close friends and fishing buddies. Shane wants the event to be a way of remembering what Dusty (who passed away in 2010) stood for in life.

Shane calls Dusty a “great caring person who had aspirations to be a carpenter.” He says that his friend could have gone to college, but didn’t like the idea of sitting behind a desk, instead wanting to follow his dream of working with his hands.

The Dusty Richardel Foundation and Shane want to keep Dusty’s spirit alive and have him remembered in a positive way. Although his career path did not take him to college, his aspirations were no less than anyone who attended a university, they say.

For that reason, the rodeo proceeds will fund several “blue collar” scholarships for high school seniors who want to go to a trade school or enter the workforce right after graduation. According to the tournament’s website, www.DRMemorial.org, the awards “target non-university track students pursuing a career in one of the following areas: carpentry/woodworking, welding, electrical, diesel mechanics, nautical sciences/marine operations, machining/manufacturing, EMT, business, food industry, art, or ROTC.”

There will be certain requirements as part of application, such as a 200-word essay, and an interview with members of Dusty’s family.

Recipients who choose to attend Trade or Vocational schooling will receive an initial $1,000 upon enrollment at the Trade/Vocational school of their choice and another $500 per semester pending a 2.5 GPA.

Those scholarship winners who want to attend a one-year Vocational school will receive an initial $625 check and an additional $625 during the year based on their progress reports.

Recipients who plan to embark on a trade immediately following graduation will receive a one-time $500 gift card to the supply store of their choice to help purchase the needed tools of their future trade.

There are two fishing divisions: boater and kayak.

In the boater division, categories are:

- Redfish under 27”—two-fish stringer

- Speckled trout 12” and over—three-fish stringer

- Trash fish—heaviest fish

- Largemouth bass any size—three-bass stringer

- Mangrove snapper (Louisiana regulations apply)—two-fish stringer

In the kayak division:

- Two redfish stringer—under 27”

- Three speck stringer—12” minimum

- Trash fish—heaviest fish

Awards will be for first, second, and third in each category and feature K2 ice chests for first place winners.

The event will also provide food, live entertainment, an auction, and raffle prizes. Southern Cross will be performing on Saturday evening.

Giveaways include an alligator hunt and three charter fishing trips.

Shane says the tournament will be an annual event which he hopes fills a need. “The reality is that there is a deficit of blue collar workers in today’s workplace. Parents push their children to build a better life, but some even graduate college and can’t find jobs. We want to offer them assistance with the start of their new careers.”

All information about sponsoring the event, registration, tournament rules, scholarships, or food and entertainment can be found on the website or by calling (985) 628-0639.